Anouk Schuit started working as a PhD-student at the VU University in May 2016. Her study focuses on expanding Oncokompas into OncokompasPAL. OncokompasPAL will support patients with advanced cancer and their informal caregivers in finding optimal supportive care, adjusted to their personal well-being and preferences. The aim of the study is to facilitate the access to palliative care for both patients and their informal caregivers. Two randomized controlled trials will be conducted to determine the efficacy of OncokompasPAL on patient empowerment, quality of life and costs. A cost utility analysis will be carried out to provide an overview of the costs compared with the difference in QALYs (quality-adjusted life years).

Anouk received her bachelor’s degree in Medical Informatics at the University of Amsterdam and finished her Master Beleid, Communicatie en Organisatie at the VU University.

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News flashes

PhD thesis Femke Jansen

January 15, 2018 Femke Jansen defended her thesis “Supportive care in head and neck cancer patients. Patient-reported needs and costs”.

Within the context of the alliance VUmc-AMC Prof dr Ellen Laan (AMC) and prof dr Irma Verdonck-de Leeuw (VUmc) received a grant for the project "Sexual well-being in head and neck cancer patients".

Treatment of psychological distress in patients with head and neck or lung cancer cost-effective.
A recent study of PhD-student Femke Jansen and colleagues, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,

On June 15th, 2015, Irma Verdonck presented the book "In Tune Without Cords" (in Dutch: VerderZonderStembanden) to Rob Burdorf, the president of the patient society for patients after laryngectomy.

PhD thesis Florien Boele

May 11 Florien Boele defended her PhD thesis, entitled "Towards improving health-related quality of life in glioma patients and their informal caregvers".

PhD thesis Trille Kristina Kjaer

May 8, Trille Kjaer will defend her PhD thesis entitled "Late effects after treatment of head and neck cancer and use of patient reported outcomes in clinical practice." Irma Verdonck is member of the committee.

Niels Stensen Fellowship
Florien Boele has received a Niels Stensen Fellowship. This is a scholarship that is awarded annually to a number of outstanding researchers who have recently obtained their PhD degree, to gain working experience abroad. Florien Boele will go to Pittsburgh (United States) and Edinburgh (Scotland) in 2015 and 2016.

Key paper

The publication “Prevalence of depression in cancer patients: a meta-analysis of diagnostic interviews and self-report instruments” of A.M.H. Krebber et.al is chosen by the Editors as one of the key papers in Psycho-oncology, (issue June 2014).

On April 10th, 2014, the first edition of the Value Based Healthcare Prize took place. The prize for the most exceptional initiative in collaborations went to Jippa, a collaborative by VUmc, CZ, Radboud UMC and Tilburg University.

29 January 2013. Pink Ribbon has granted a project to develop and evaluate an online training for cancer patients with insomnia (Annemieke van Straten), and a project to develop and evaluate a breast cancer module for the OncoKompas (Nelly van Uden).

On December 19, 2012 there will be a Symposium ''Living with Cancer''. This is a charity symposium on meaning centered psychotherapy for cancer patients. Read more about it at the tab News at the left.

15 November 2012: Hoe?Zo! Radio interview with Irma Verdonck on stress and cancer.

October 2012: Interview with Irma Verdonck in Psychologie Magazine.

September 9, 2012. Interview Hans van Willigenburg with Irma Verdonck on Radio 5.

August 2012. Five students finish their MSc thesis and graduate as MSc in Clinical PSychology.

October 23, 2011: Alpe d'HuZes hands over more than 20 million euros to the Dutch Cancer Society!

Team work

Our research projects are embedded in the two largest research institutes of VU University in Amsterdam: VUmc CCA-VICI (Cancer Center Amsterdam) www.vumc.nl/afdelingen/CCA-V-ICI/ and EMGO+ (Institute for Health and Care Research emgo.nl

We work closely with patients and their caregivers and with researchers and physicians at VU University and VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam and other research institutes and hospitals in the Netherlands and worldwide. Team work is crucial improving research and translating results into clinical practice.